Guide dog life | Dogs | Service Dogs

Cooper’s ‘About Me’ Story

As told by the dog

Get to know Guide Dog Cooper a little better!

My name is Cooper and I’m a Labrador Retriever and a service dog; my actual job title is Guide Dog for the Blind.

My lady (Pat) sees a fraction of what a person with normal vision sees, so she trusts me to keep her on the straight and narrow.

This can be a challenge for a guide dog, especially when she’s daydreaming. When that happens, I take the liberty of walking us along the scenic route through the park, or through the food court if we’re in the mall. It ends up being a win-win all around. How so, you might ask? Well, she says if I’m happy, she’s happy; we’re talking about food courts and parks! What’s not to be happy about?

And I always get her to work on time.

About me as a puppy

My birthday was January 28, 2016, and my mother, a beautiful yellow lab, set me loose when I was a cute pup.

I was meant for freedom, and freedom suits me well. I started learning the ways of the world and got to play with a ball the size of my head.

My first people (my puppy raisers) taught me the manners I’d need to become a good housemate, for example, how to resist leaping on guests. Sure it was all fun and games when I weighed 6 pounds, but by age two I was 85 solid pounds of bone, muscle, brain, and wolf-like stealth. I’m exaggerating about the stealth. But guests wouldn’t do well under 85 pounds of me. Plus, with my front paws on an adult human’s shoulders, I can look them squarely in the eye.

Besides giving me skills and preparing me for the future, my puppy raisers were the most awesome examples of why dogs are man’s and woman’s best friends.

They promised that one day I’d meet someone who would need me, and they were right.

Learning the job

Even though I was voted class clown in school, I was a genius in guide dog classes! I’m not kidding, when I found out that I was going to actually help someone, I paid attention to detail.

My instructors were amazed at how fast I learned things. I’m not really sure why the surprise though, I mean, food and toys were part of the deal!

I would find the door — they’d give me a treat. I’d stop for traffic — they’d give me a treat. The traffic thing was a no-brainer, think self-preservation, right? Still, I’d get the best treats for stopping at curbs! But who would complain?

I’m great on buses and trains too. People say things to me like, Oh what a handsome dog, and Please, have a seat here ma’am, to Pat. She pulls out the bacon-flavored treats for our commutes, and all I really do is make sure she stays out of trouble. Pretty straightforward too, even a cat could figure some of these things out.

My Cat Housemates

On the subject of cats, I have two cat-housemates who claim cats are smarter than dogs. They’ll say things like, Why bother with tricks when they feed you anyway? Or, We’ve descended from royalty… I think, descended is right. Then they’re like, We don’t have to go outside to do our business, who’s the boss now, Cooper?

They’re so annoying with their bragging. Oh well, they still love me.

A great part of my job

We visit kids in large gatherings at schools and Pat tells them to ask her any question they want to ask, they won’t hurt her feelings.

That’s brave considering kids can be unpredictable, but she doesn’t even care about that! I think it’s because she raised some of them before she met me — in comparison, the school kids and I are pieces of cake.

Pat believes in the children. She says they will be the ones making the future more inclusive for all people, like people with service dogs, wheelchairs, walking canes, people living with hearing and sight loss, and other conditions. This planet is for everyone to enjoy, and no one should be excluded due to living with something that’s beyond their control.

Another of my favorite places to be is at the CNIB Foundation, where my best girl Italy is. She’s also a guide dog and when her lady (Kay) and Pat are drinking coffee, Italy and I get to do pretty much anything we want, and it’s all in a day’s work.

Pat and I have been a team since 2018 and she says these have been her best years ever. I agree, they’re my best years too!

This is at another job I go to with Pat, the bow tie was for my birthday.

For more Cooper stories follow our publication — The Love of Dogs